LEARNZ comes together with BTW team to co-develop an online resource for volcano science education

The Natural Hazards virtual field trip(external link) launched in October 2025, takes young learners on a digital journey across fault lines, volcanoes, landslides, tsunamis across the Bay of Plenty region in Aotearoa. 

Through video, Google Earth tours, 360° panoramas, and live conversations, students can explore how past natural events have shaped today’s landscapes — and how science helps communities stay resilient. These virtual field trips are particularly important as they align with the New Zealand curriculum and showcase learning areas such as Sciences as well as Social Sciences. Additionally, the field trip includes teacher support resources such as background reading, images and Māori kupu that can help learners understand the social contexts and the importance of learning about the local landscape processes. The section on Connect with Field Trip experts then provides students with opportunities to ask questions of scientists helping to humanise the science presented in the field trip. 

Dr. Craig Miller, Senior Volcano Geophysicist at the Earth Sciences NZ, who was part of filming the virtual field trip shared, "that it was great to film this with the LEARNZ(external link) crew and then to follow up later with the tamariki after they had watched the field trip online.  They had some great questions about what we had presented.  These trips are a great way for schools to explore parts of the country they wouldn’t get to see otherwise.” 

The Beneath the Waves programme emphasises co-creating resources that are useful, usable, and genuinely used by a wide range of people. This virtual field trip brings this vision to life by transforming the various aspects of volcano science into engaging, accessible learning experiences for schools across Aotearoa.